EU court in Luxembourg toughens stance on 'welfare tourism'

The EU's top court in Luxembourg toughened its stance on "welfare tourism" on Tuesday, in a decision likely to boost British Prime Minister David Cameron's hopes for EU negotiations ahead of a membership referendum.

16.09.2015

The EU's top court in Luxembourg toughened its stance on "welfare tourism" on
Tuesday, in a decision likely to boost British Prime Minister David
Cameron's hopes for EU negotiations ahead of a membership referendum.

The European Court of Justice in Kirchberg, ruled that member states can end
benefits to EU citizens, even if they worked for a certain period in the
country, expanding on a decision made in November last year.

"This decision is intended to end abuse and to stop welfare tourism," an EU legal source stated.

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm welcomed the decision as an "important clarification".

"Free movement (in the EU) comes with rights and obligations ... It
is a right to free circulation not a right of access to member state
social welfare systems," said spokesman Christian Wigand.

In November 2014, the court said EU citizens going to another member
state could only expect to receive social welfare benefits if they met
the condition of finding active employment.

Tuesday's decision in Luxembourg, based on a case out of Germany involving Swedes,
expands this to citizens who actually did work, but only for a short
period and then remained inactive for more than six months.

Where this period of six months has elapsed, "the host member state
may refuse to grant any social assistance," the court said in a
statement.

Cameron, who has promised to hold an in/out referendum by 2017, had hailed November's decision as "simple common sense".

Cameron has said he will campaign to stay in the European Union if he
can renegotiate terms of British membership that would include a
tougher stance on welfare benefits for EU citizens working in Britain.